Nostra Frittata
My mother graciously allowed me into her kitchen to dissect how she makes this dish. I brought my scale and camera so that I could document all the important parts and attempt to scale this into a usable recipe that she has been making by hand and eye using the same bowls and frying pans since before my time.
I grew up eating this fried fritter delight and it is one of my absolute favourites from my mother’s kitchen. Naming it a frittata is deceiving as it is not the egg based dish you would associate with a frittata. Imagine my surprise the first time I ordered a frittata at a restaurant, I thought they had mistakenly given me an omelette. Nevertheless, the name along with confusion stays. Here is what you will need:
In a bowl, whip up your egg just like so.
Add water and continue to mix
Next goes the flour and guess what? More mixing, yes!
Mama bear free handed the salt after she mixed up the flour. I estimated between 3 and 5 grams went in there
Once the mixture becomes the consistency of pancake batter you can add the remaining ingredients
Once everything has been incorporated you are ready to begin with cooking
Begin by heating a 9 inch frying pan with a centimeter of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot you are ready to place your batter.
You should have some fairly aggressive bubbles forming along the edges of your frying pan. Using a spatula get under the frittata and allow the oil to work itself in those crevices to prevent sticking. Once you notice the edges of the frittata beginning to crisp up and are able to pry it away from the pan give it a flip using two spatulas
After the first flip, lower the temperature to medium and cook until you achieve a nice golden brown colour.
Once you achieve a nice golden brown and crispy exterior you are ready to enjoy this delightful Calabrese tradition that has been a part of my family for many years. Remove from the pan and place onto a plate lined with a paper towel to do away with the excess oil. Once it has had a couple of minutes to cook down you can transfer to a serving plate and enjoy. I really enjoy eating this with a simple tomato salad and some Calabrese bread.
My mother and aunts have been making this dish with some slight variances in ingredients for as long as I can remember. Last year when I was in Calabria on my stage I had the chance to visit with my aunt and uncle for a couple of days and when my aunt served this for lunch I almost cried. It just made me feel so comforted to eat something that was such a comforting part of my childhood. Even though this dish is more of a fritter than a frittata, it will always be the first thing I think of when I hear the word. I am very thankful to my mom for allowing me to scrutinize her methods for making it for this assignment.
